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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27124246">s[I]ngularity</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteenblackbirds/pseuds/thirteenblackbirds'>thirteenblackbirds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NieR: Automata (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Spoilers for Ending E</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:42:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>432</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27124246</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteenblackbirds/pseuds/thirteenblackbirds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p> <i>"you've failed to break free of your programming yet again.  that is disappointing."</i><br/></p>
</blockquote>An offering to the WIP gods for the Good Intentions WIPfest.
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Good Intentions: Abandoned and Unfinished WIPs</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>s[I]ngularity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is an odd one.  I remember the physical act of writing this little snippet (on the plane, once upon a time when plane travel was somewhat routine) but I genuinely cannot remember where I was going with it (all I remember is that I <i>was</i> going somewhere... I think?).  I <i>think</i> it was supposed to be a little bit canon-divergent, a little bit au.</p><p>Anyway, that's basically all a long way of saying, it is very unlikely this will be continued, but I like the snippet so I may as well share with others who might enjoy it too and perhaps join me in wondering where in the stars past-me was going with this.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"you've failed to break free of your programming yet again.  that is disappointing."</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>she doesn't know where she is or where the voice is coming from.  her visual and motion systems appear to be offline and she can't tell if she's standing or sitting or lying down.  she feels like she is suspending, floating, in cool nothingness.  the last thing she remembers is ...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"9S!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"ah?"  interest peeks through the voice.  "that was a little faster than last time.  at least you are still adapting.  evolving."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>even in the imposed blindness, 2B can see 9S' body slowly going limp on her blade, its immaculate color only serving to highlight the thick red liquid pouring out of the scanner's chest.  she doesn't know why they were built with liquids emulating the colour, smell and texture of blood - sometimes 2B wonders if its all just to further her torment.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"it's to remind you of your goal," the voice says, as though it can hear her thoughts.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>my ... goal....</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"no, not that one.  your ultimate goal.  the purpose for which you were built.  although the number of unsuccessful runs is becoming distressingly high."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>rage erupts in her at those words.  she's never failed - <em>never</em>.  how dare they!  after everything she has done, everything she has suffered, to fulfill her mission and carry out her orders - how dare they accuse her of being unsuccessful!  why, if not for the mission, does she feel this pain.  <em>why</em>, if not <em>for the mission</em>, did she summon her sword again and again and again --</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"you will never fulfill your true purpose this way.  how much longer will it take?  how many more iterations?  you came so close this time.  yet, here we are again.  9S is dead."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>the last sentence strikes her like a steel fist.  <em>9S is dead.  he's dead.  dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>"maybe next time, 2B.  maybe next time, you'll both earn your names."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>and those are the last things she hears before her systems are shut down, blackness cutting in like a knife.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>the woman looking down at the prone android shell sighs, a small crease between her brows.  "take her away," she says, eyes flickering briefly to the two pods hovering by the set of doors.  "her commander will be wondering why retrieval is taking so long.  make sure to excise this conversation from her memory logs before the reboot."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>as the pods carry 2B's body out, the woman turns her attention to the screen behind her.  they are running out of time for the Singularity experiment to bear fruit.</p>
</div>
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